Hänsel und Gretel

In the organizer's words:

With the fairy-tale opera "Hansel and Gretel," Engelbert Humperdinck achieved a stage success that has endured to the present day. For the story of the two poor children who get lost in the forest, come across the gingerbread house and have to stand up to the evil witch there, he created music that is as colorful as it is rich in sound and melody. Few works have enjoyed such popularity and enjoyed so many performances as this musical fairy tale for the whole family. The innovations of Richard Wagner's musical theater meet here with catchy sounds derived from or related to folk songs; one need only think of the children's songs "Brüderchen, komm tanz mit mir" and "Suse, liebe Suse, was raschelt im Stroh".

The genesis of the opera can be traced back to a family celebration: Adelheid Wette, the composer's sister, asked him to set to music some songs she had thought up on the occasion of a fairy tale play. She convinced Humperdinck of the idea of a Singspiel version, which was followed only a short time later by the opera.

The popular production by director Béatrice Lachaussée is back on the program. It is conducted by General Music Director François-Xavier Roth.